Blenheim ginger ale – if you like “hot” stuff you are going to want to try this stuff. As the tale goes, in 1781 James Spears, a patriot, while trying to escape Tory troops lost a shoe in a water hole. When he returned to find it he tasted the water and noticed its strong mineral content. Word of the spring spread and wealthy plantation owners built summer homes in the vicinity.
About 100 years later Dr. C. R. May suggested that patients with stomach problems should drink the mineral water. They complained about the yucky taste so he added Jamaican ginger to it. It became so popular that in 1903, Dr. May and A. J. Matheson opened the Blenheim Bottling Company. The original 1920’s Blenheim plant still operates as a working Bottler’s Museum (near Bennettsville SC), giving this company the oldest and smallest bottling plant in the US.
Blenheim Ginger Ale comes in a few varieties: really spicy hot (pink cap), which is called “The Ole’ # 3, mild and diet. The company is now owned by the family that owns South of the Border so you can buy the ginger ale at any stores there.
Or you can drive off I-95 about 22 miles to Bennettsville SC where all the stores stock it. If you go there, you can enjoy a really friendly town and have a great night’s sleep if you book at the Breeden Inn.
SC Exit 181 www.bennettsvillesc.com
Tel: 843-479-9001
www.breedeninn.com
Tel: 888-335-2996 or 843-479-3665